Per-Capita Spending for School Districts

Spending for Government

Per-Capita Spending for School Districts

What does this measure?

The annual per-capita spending for local public education within a county, adjusted for inflation.

Why is this important?

Free public education was long ago embraced as a cornerstone of a fair society. Schools must prepare the next generation to become productive members of society and compete in the global economy rapidly than many other goods and services and can become a burden to taxpayers, particularly those on fixed incomes or whose incomes are not keeping pace with tax increases.

How is our region performing?

In 2015, school districts in our region spent $3,200 per capita, lower than the figure for New York State (excluding NYC) of $3,500. Regional school spending increased 16% from 2000 to 2015, less than the 25% statewide increase (excluding NYC). Of the nine counties in the region, school district spending increased the most from 2000 to 2015 in Yates (29%) and Monroe (24%), while Livingston (-13%) and Wyoming (-32%) saw the greatest decreases over that period. From 2014 to 2015, school spending in the region increased by 2%. Wayne ($3,500) had the highest school district spending per-capita in the region for 2015, while Wyoming and Yates had the lowest, each at $2,180.

Notes about the data

Data are presented in constant 2015 dollars. New York State excludes New York City. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.

Featured Indicator

Unemployed individuals are those without jobs who are able, available and actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the total labor force (the total number of employed and unemployed individuals 16 or older and not living in prisons, mental hospitals or nursing homes).